Frankfurt, January 17: A mass evacuation was undertaken at the Frankfurt International Airport, Germany on Saturday after a man shouted 'Allahu Akbar' when the airport police confronted him for not wearing face mask, a precautionary COVID-19 measure, leading to an armed response. The incident reportedly occurred at the Terminal 1 of the German airport at 5:16 pm yesterday, following which the terminal was evacuated.
As per reports, a 38-year-old man from Slovenia showed aggression towards the police after they approached him for not wearing the face mask.The man shouted, 'I will kill you all, Allahu Akbar', abandoned his luggage and tried to flee the scene, reported the Daily Mail. His unattended suitcase created apprehension and an evacuation of the terminal was called for. Delhi Airport Security Increased After Terror Threat Call, London-Bound Air India Flights Could Be Targeted.
A Federal Police Directorate Frankfurt Main Airport spokesman said," 'A federal police patrol approached a Slovenian man who was not wearing mouth and nose protection. He immediately showed aggressive behavior towards the officers and said, "I will kill you all, Allahu Akbar." 'Due to his...behavior, the forces deployed assumed that his statement was serious. The man then tried to flee, but was immediately overwhelmed by the emergency services under threat of a firearm," added the statement.Mumbai Airport Facilitates Evacuation of 3,700 Passengers in 21 Days.
An armed man was reportedly caught at another terminal of the airport. The federal police said in their statement, "Since a connection between the two incidents could not be ruled out, this led to the expansion of the cordoning off and evacuation measures. Adding that the deployment resulted in greater disruption to air and rail traffic at Frankfurt Airport.
The airport was however reopened around 8 pm. The suspect being investigated for suspected threats and resistance to law enforcement officials, police confirmed. "The interrogation and investigations into the incidents are currently ongoing," they said, as reported by the Daily Mail. "So far there is no information about the motivation. There are parallel investigations into the evidence of the armed persons," the officials added.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 17, 2021 10:43 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).